Mobile App Marketing Lessons From Pokémon Go

What Can You Learn About Mobile App Marketing From Pokémon Go?

Sadly for some, Nintendo isn’t accepting requests for new Pokestops and Pokemon Gyms at this time. There’s no information on when they will start again. Some small businesses established these centers to attract players and help increase their own business and visibility.

That was great while it lasted, but you can still use this popular game to attract mobile app users, boost your social reach, and increase revenues. In the meantime, you can use Pokémon Go to learn some lessons about mobile app marketing, relationship building, and mobile app engagement.

Obviously, Nintendo was pretty good at mobile app marketing. Consider some statistics about use of this popular mobile game, Pokémon Go:

Over half a billion downloads

About 20 million active, daily US users

Average daily use of about half an hour

How Did Nintendo Get Mobile App Marketing Right?

The initial fervor over the augmented-reality, mobile game appears to have leveled off somewhat, but plenty of people still download and actively play the game. There’s no doubt that the developers understand mobile app engagement very well. Nintendo made money from in-game upsells, and they helped other businesses boost their own mobile and social marketing too.

For instance, one pizza store owner reported record revenues and profits when he spent a few dollars to create a Pokestop in his establishment. He attracted game players who wanted to collect free items, and many players also politely ordered drinks and food.

Brand Recognition Helped But Wasn’t Everything

Naturally, the game had an advantage. The franchise already had released TV shows, movies, and video games. Some people would have tried the new release even if it wasn’t as good as it was. However, Nintendo didn’t just rest on their laurels.

What else set Pokémon Go apart from other mobile game apps:

They created an augmented reality game that really built upon the magical reality world of the story about Ash, Pikachu, and all of the other anime characters.

The developers focused on creating the best user experience that they could, both before and after release.

Nintendo incorporated different kinds of mobile tech, including virtual reality, GPS, and animation to create a new experience.

Pokémon Go Was About Relationship Marketing & App Engagement

Here’s what really set this game apart. Sure, Nintendo earned a lot of money from app purchases. However, it also encouraged players to interact with each other and actually leave their homes to go out to seek little pocket monsters and other useful items. Players also posted their latest finds to their social networks, which helped promote the brand.

The game also allowed Nintendo to build relationships with other businesses when they allowed them to request their own Pokestops and Gyms. When players bragged about their wins on social networks, they promoted Pokémon Go and also the place that they were playing at. People who played made friends as they played and they also discovered new places. This isn’t something that previous mobile games or almost any games or apps did so well.

It’s easy to marvel about the unique user experience and create use of technology that Pokémon Go delivered. It would be foolish to miss the actual human heart of the game. The game worked because the tech work, but it became a major success because of the builtin relationship marketing.

Use Your Mobile App Marketing to Catch ‘Em All!

See, your customers might enjoy interacting with your mobile app, but if you can also get them to interact with your business and even with each other, you can score a big win! It’s pretty easy to see that Nintendo took the Pokemon motto seriously: Gotta Catch ‘Em All!